Pretty and Delicious: 8 Fun Edible Flowers to Plant With Kids
Nasturtiums
Why: Nasturtiums are super-easy for little hands to sow, and most kids will love watching big bumblebees immerse themselves inside the deep nasturtium blossoms, as if searching for buried treasure. Hummingbirds love these flowers, too. Every part of the nasturtium plant is edible — leaves, flowers and seeds. Aphids also love to eat them, which can be a nuisance, since once they arrive, they quickly take over the entire plant. However, some gardeners plant nasturtiums as a decoy to protect other plants that aphids love. Lovely, edible and practical!
When and where: Nasturtiums will self-sow and come back season after season, but if you’re planting for the first time, pick a sunny, well-draining spot in your garden. Nasturtium seeds can be sown April through June. (Buy nasturtium seeds.)
Garden-to-table tip: Besides providing a dramatic and peppery garnish in a salad, colorful nasturtium blossoms can make a bright-tasting, orange-tinted vinegar. Put about a cup of loosely packed nasturtium flowers in a clean pint jar, fill the jar all the way to the top with white wine vinegar to completely cover the blossoms and then put the jar in a cool, dark place for three weeks. Strain out the petals and then mix the vinegar with olive oil to make a delicious homemade nasturtium vinaigrette.
